


Like A Rollin' Thunder Chasing The Wind

by sparkinside (boomersoonerash)



Series: 52 Weeks of Stories [13]
Category: Hanson (Band), The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - No Zombie Apocalypse, Alternate Universe - No Zombies, Babies, Childbirth, Crossover, Crossover Pairings, Domestic, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Older Man/Younger Woman, Pain, Parent Daryl, Parenthood, Timestamp
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-04
Updated: 2016-05-04
Packaged: 2018-06-06 09:34:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6748492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/boomersoonerash/pseuds/sparkinside
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Avery goes into labor at a time that probably isn't the most convenient time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Like A Rollin' Thunder Chasing The Wind

January 23, 2013

Sitting up in bed Avery made a face as she felt a pain in her stomach, her hand automatically going to where she felt the pain before reaching over to turn on the light. It was going on one in the morning from the clock on the bedside table and the pains in her stomach had been lasting for an hour though for the last thirty minutes they had gotten consecutively worse and more timed together.

Which of course she reckoned meant this was the real deal and she was going into labor, something she had wanted since she was five days past her January 18th due date but was bad timing wise because Daryl had went an hour away to Atlanta on an overnight work related thing with Zac. It was something he had been hesitant to do but Avery had assured him he could go because surely she wouldn't go into labor since their son was being stubborn. Obviously the joke had been on her but at least Daryl had insisted and won out on someone staying at the trailer with her just in case.

Slipping out of bed Avery slowly walked or more like waddled down to the living room where Merle was asleep on the couch and when she made it to the living room she flipped on the light switch before going to the couch.

"Merle?" Avery spoke as she did her best to bend down and shake him. "Merle come on wake up, please."

"Huh? What?" Merle asked as he roused slightly one eye opening to look at Avery. "What the hell ya want, woman?" he finally spoke once he was more awake. "Was havin' a pretty nice dream 'bout Pamela Anderson."

Rolling her eyes Avery chewed her lip a bit nervously before answering him. "I think I'm in labor," she told him as she made another face when another contraction hit her.

Merle just looked at her for a few minutes almost as if she was speaking another language or like she had grown a second head even. "Labor," he repeated the word like it was foreign but then his face seemed to change as reality hit him. "Shit," he muttered out as he stood from the couch quicker than she had seen anyone move before. "Hospital...hospital now," he said as he grabbed for her arm and began to lead her towards the door.

Stopping in her tracks as he did so, Avery just shook her head, "Merle you kind of need to change clothes first," she told him knowing it was January and there was no way he could just take her to the hospital clad only in his boxers. "And I need to go get the stuff that Daryl and I prepared for this," she said as she gave her brother-in-law a tiny smile. 

Merle seemed to blush at Avery's words but he did let go of her arm and turn to go get his pants.

As he did that Avery moved and went to the nursery where right by the bedroom door was a packed duffel bag with her changes of clothes as well as a packed diaper bag for the baby. Once she had a bag strap over each arm she headed back out to the living room though as soon as she got there she watched as Merle came over and took the duffel bag from her.

"Daryl will kill me if he knew I let you carry both bags," Merle told her before they walked to the door and when they made it there Avery grabbed her coat, slipping it on as Merle lead her outside to his car.

The moment they made it to the car Avery waited until he opened the backseat and she slipped the diaper bag in it before opening the front seat and getting in. While she buckled up she heard Merle mutter something about going inside to get his cell phone and suddenly it then dawned on her that hers was laying on her bedside table.

"Get mine too!" Avery called out as she watched Merle turn to look at her as he paused at the front door. "It's laying on the bedside table."

Seeing him nod his head Avery finally leaned against the seat in the car as she felt another contraction and she closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.

When she heard the driver's side door open and the car start, Avery opened her eyes as she watched Merle back out of the driveway and soon take off down the road, going a bit fast.

"You don't have to drive like a bat out of hell," Avery said as she turned to look at him. "It's only going to get you a ticket and trust me I don't feel like trying to explain to Officer Grimes why you were speeding."

Merle glared at her words, "Wouldn't even be me behind the wheel if you hadn't told Daryl he could leave," he said as he shook his head. "What was it you said? Oh yeah, I remember now. You didn't think you'd have the baby in such a short amount of time away cause the thing was being stubborn," he muttered as he repeated her words. "Ya should have known he's a Dixon, woman. He's gonna come at the most inconvenient time and that's when his daddy is an hour away and you're stuck with me."

"It's not like I'm the one who wanted you to stay with me," Avery told him as she shook her head looking back at the road. "I wanted my mom to stay but Daryl vetoed that. Saying he trusted you to have a more level head when it came to getting me to a hospital if I were to go into labor."

Merle laughed at that,"Darylina is a bit crazy," he said as he shook his head. "Damn fool should know I'd freak out. Ain't ever been in a situation like this before."

"It's cause he trusts you more than my family still," Avery said knowing in the end that's what it came down too. Daryl even after two months of marriage hadn't came around to trusting all the members of her family yet, especially her mom who had been one of the more stubborn ones when it came to accepting Daryl as part of the family and the father of her child, though her mom was trying at least now and Avery had hope that one day she'd love Daryl like she loved Glenn or like she loved Nikki, Kate, Maggie and even Natalie despite her divorce from Taylor.

Those words seemed to quite Merle as well as kill his lead foot because Avery noticed that the car was going slower and eventually they made it to the hospital almost twenty minutes after leaving the trailer and Avery's contractions were still close together and seemed to be getting stronger.

After Merle parked the car, Avery watched as he got out quickly and then walked to her side of the car, opening the door. "Well come on woman, we don't got all day," he said as he looked at her expectantly and Avery realized he was going to help her out of the car.

Unbuckling her seat belt she accepted Merle's help out of the car and she was a bit surprised that even after that, he kept a hold of her as they walked inside of the hospital, though the minute they were inside was when Merle seemed to panic again. Reality probably hitting him again that she was in labor with his nephew and for right now he was her only support, a fact that would hopefully change once she was situated in a room. That was when Avery planned to have him call Daryl as well as members of her family.

Standing beside Merle, Avery just stayed silent as he began to yell at nurses that he was with a pregnant woman who was in labor and for them to bring a wheelchair as soon as possible. Though it seemed his words did seem to work as two nurses ran over to them one with a wheelchair and once it was there Avery sat in it, letting them wheel her down towards labor and delivery as the other nurse seemingly kept Merle behind.

"We're just going to have to keep your husband for a bit ma'am, have him answer some questions about you," the nurse told her in a thick country accent. "Then he can join you in your room."

Avery looked up at the nurse as she forced a polite smile, "He isn't my husband," she told her as she shook her head. "He's my brother-in-law and he was staying with me while my husband was on an overnight trip."

The nurse just nodded her head at Avery and Avery could have sworn she saw a look of disbelief in the nurses eye and she wasn't sure if it was Merle being her brother-in-law or what, but if Avery weren't trying to stay calm she probably would have snapped at the nurse and blamed it on the pain she was in.  
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After what felt like forever though in actuality was probably only thirty minutes at best, Avery was settled in a room where a doctor checked her out, confirming that she was indeed in labor. three point five centimeters to be exact and the doctor informed her that he'd be by to check on her in an hour.

Hearing the door to the room open not long after the doctor left Avery turned her head as she watched Merle walk in, noticing the way he eyed all the machines she was now hooked up too.

"Had to answer some questions," Merle explained as he sat down in a chair by the bed. "Then I decided I might as well call Daryl and let him know his kid is making its grand debut into the world. He said some curse words and told me to call some of you're family," he laughed as he shook his head. "Your moms on her way here and so is Beth cause I called her too."

Avery couldn't help but smile at that and she relaxed into the bed slightly or as much as she could with her contractions and being hooked up to machines and an i.v.

"Thanks Merle," Avery told him feeling grateful that he had done that and maybe at certain times Merle wasn't all bad anyway.

It was after she said that, that a silence settled between her and Merle. One that obviously made Merle a bit uncomfortable cause she heard him mumble something about finding music on his phone to listen to because he doubted there was shit on TV at two in the morning.

After he said that Avery made a face when minutes later she heard the opening of the song Push It by Salt-N-Pepa coming out of his phones speakers.

"Merle," Avery hissed out which caused him to look up at her with a knowing smirk.

"Just figured you'd need some encouragement for later," Merle defended as he turned the volume up. "It can be your song for when you're pushin' that cryin' spawn out of your who-ha."

Avery glared at him as she shook her head, "In a minute I'll be pushing something and it won't be no baby," she snapped finally. "I'll push that phone as far up your ass as it will go."

"Feisty," Merle said as he smirked more. "I can see why Daryl loves you now. Always wondered before cause you just seem so plain jane but now..now I can see it."

"Merle," Avery hissed out again and this time it seemed he heeded her words as he raised his hands in surrender.  
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Two hours later Avery couldn't help but let out a tiny groan as she looked around the room. A room that was now full of women and Merle who even after the arrival of her mom, Jessica, and Beth had refused to leave. Saying he owed it to Daryl to stay until he got there.

"How long did Daryl say they were going be?" she whined out feeling like crying right now. She was five centimeters dilated and in pain and to top it off Daryl and Zac were now stuck in traffic just thirty minutes away thanks to some bad wreck that had happened.

An overturned RV that had as Zac had put it probably killed the people who were inside it with all the damage it had sustained.

"He said they were looking at an hour at best," Jessica answered as she looked up at Avery. "Three at worst."

Groaning again Avery leaned back against the bed as she finally gave in to her tears. "He's going miss the birth," she spoke knowing she was probably being dramatic. "He's going to miss his son being born," she frowned as she began to cry a bit harder.

Diana moved from where she had been sitting, coming to stand by Avery's bed, "He's not going to miss the labor," she said trying to reassure Avery. "It's four in the morning and you're only five centimeters dilated. It could take awhile for you to progress honey," she spoke in that soothing voice she had always used when Avery was a child. "You just need to try and rest okay. Get some sleep and maybe when you wake up he'll be here and you'll be closer to having your son."

Avery nodded her head at her mom's words and she closed her eyes, hoping that she did get some rest even if she felt like she was being torn in two at the moment, though even with the pain she wasn't going to use medicine to ease it. She wanted as natural of a birth as she could have in a hospital.  
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Feeling someone running their hand through her hair Avery opened her eyes slowly and as she came to her senses, she couldn't help the smile on her face as she looked up at her husband, a man who she had been afraid would miss this.

"What time is it?" she asked him knowing she had just dozed off again for the second time since her mom had told her to rest. Having only woken up when the doctor came in to check on her and to inform her she was five point five centimeters dilated.

"Little after eight," Daryl told her as he returned her smile. "Got here 'bout ten minutes ago and sent your mom and sisters out to go eat breakfast and I think Merle left to flirt with one of the nurses."

Avery laughed softly at that because of course Merle would be flirting with a nurse now that he didn't have to stay glued in her room. "I was afraid you wouldn't make it," she said honestly as she watched Daryl grab a chair which he brought closer to the bed before sitting down. "I was afraid you'd miss Hunter's birth."

"You think I'd miss this?" Daryl asked as he reached for Avery's hand and she grabbed onto it. "I wouldn't miss this if my life depended on it. Pretty sure I was even encouraging Zac to speed once we got out of the traffic jam."

Laughing again Avery squeezed Daryl's hand slightly when a contraction hit mid laugh and all she did was breathe through it before speaking. "I had to encourage Merle not to speed on the way here," she told him as she couldn't help but think of how Merle had been when it was just them. "I still don't want to give Hunter the middle name Merle but well I was thinking maybe Milo..an M name to honor Merle. He was so much better than I thought he'd be this morning," she said knowing he was even with the song he had chosen to play once he had been in her room.

"Hunter Milo," Daryl spoke as he smiled after saying the name. "I think it'll work," he nodded his head.  
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It was after Daryl's arrival that Avery found she was able to sleep one more time as well. Though when she woke up from that it seemed like her labor had progressed fast because when the doctor had came to check in on at her eleven she had been told she was going on eight centimeters dilated and that he expected the baby to be there by lunch.

An expectation that seemed to be reality because it was now eleven-thirty and Avery watched as nurses and doctors shuffled about her room, getting things ready so that she could start pushing because she was now at ten centimeters.

"You can do this baby," Daryl spoke from where he stood beside her bed and god she wanted to be happy that he was helping her and trying to reassure her but it was really hard to be happy when her pain had increased and she was feeling miserable. She literally felt like she was at death's door and her contractions had gotten longer and she swore she was having more than one sometimes.

Not saying anything to that Avery just tightened her grip on his hand when the doctor finally seemed to get in place between her legs, telling her that on her next contraction she could start pushing.  
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"So she really threatened your life with one of your own crossbows?" Zac asked Daryl as both men stood outside of the hospital smoking. It was now two in the afternoon and Hunter who had been born at a whooping nine pounds and seven ounces was now about two to two and a half hours old.

Daryl nodded his head as he finished off his cigarette, "Said if I kept talking to her she'd have Merle drive and get it and then she'd drive one of the arrows through my head," he laughed as he shook his head. "Other than that though she did really well," he smiled feeling a bit proud of her because he was sure he hadn't seen her so strong or brave.

"Wish Kate had been nicer when she had Lennon," Zac mused as he too finished off his cigarette. "She was using every cuss word imaginable and damning me to hell. Saying she never wanted to have sex with me again and that she hoped my dick fell off."

"Surprised she didn't find a way to actually make your dick fall off," Daryl mused which earned him a middle finger from Zac.

Though after that a silence seemed to fall between both men for a few minutes. A silence that Zac eventually broke.

"It's amazing being a dad though isn't it?" Zac questioned as a huge smile took over his face. "Even if it makes our wives go a little crazy during the labor."

"It is," Daryl agreed as he looked down, running a hand through his hair as he went back to the moment that Hunter had came out and his cries had filled the room seconds before the doctor had announced they had a little boy. It had been enough to reduce Daryl to tears, tears that got a bit worse when he was finally able to hold his son and it finally hit him that he was a father and he had helped to create a tiny human who depended on him and he also had known in that moment that he loved Hunter more than he had loved anything before. 

It was something that made him realize he really truly didn't understand how his dad could have been so bad. Why the old man had even wanted to raise a hand to him or Merle because as he held Hunter he knew he could never do that. Would probably kill himself before ever doing that.

"I think it's the best thing I've ever done," Daryl continued as he looked at Zac. "Hunter's the best thing I've ever done and I'm not quite sure what I'd do without him or your sister."

"You'd have gone crazy," Zac told him sounding honest and genuine. "I half think I'd be that way without Lennon and Kate but then again I was half way there before Kate even came into my life."  
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Avery smiled as she laid in the hospital bed, holding Hunter in her arms. It was going on ten at night and everyone had left and Daryl well he had fallen asleep in the chair beside the bed an hour ago and that left Avery up with Hunter who had just gotten done with a feeding.

"Your daddy will never admit it baby boy but he cried today," Avery said as she looked over at Daryl briefly before looking back down at Hunter. "The moment the doctors held you up and told us what we already knew, that we had a son he cried and then he held you and he cried even more," she laughed softly before leaning down to kiss Hunter's head.

"I cried too but I'll at least admit it. Your daddy though he is a tough man and he won't cop to things like feelings well but he loves us. He loves me and he loves you too Hunter Milo Dixon," she smiled as she watched Hunter open his eyes and look up at her. "Your daddy loves us even if he doesn't say it often."

"You're speaking out of your head woman," Daryl muttered sleepily as he opened his eyes and looked at her. "Poor child has a crazy mama already," he teased as he moved from the chair and climbed onto the bed beside Avery. "I didn't cry but I do love you and I love your mama," he smiled as he looked from Hunter to Avery. "I love you both so much."

Avery couldn't help but laugh as Hunter let out a little sound at that and she looked over at Daryl, "And I think that was Hunter's way of saying we love you too," she said as she grinned. She hadn't really expected this, expected anything that had happened in the last nine months. Getting pregnant at twenty-one or getting married mere weeks after she had turned twenty-two and she really hadn't expected to fall in love with Daryl, the man who she had once thought of as a good for nothing redneck.

But life was funny and here she was the mother of Daryl's son and very much in love with him and deep down she hoped they made it in the end. She hoped their forever held out because well she was content with the life she had and now she couldn't see it any different. She couldn't see herself with Chet or any other man. She could only see herself with Daryl, raising their son and maybe if fate or God willed it another baby or two in the future.


End file.
